Valentine’s Day Will Be Okay

Valentine’s Day, as always, is on February 14th. Of course, you already knew that. It is hard to avoid when every grocery store, Wal-Mart, Target, and drug store has garish pink and red aisles filled with endless bears, heart shaped boxes, and special pink M&M’s candies. Also, every chocolatier and bakery is advertising chocolate dipped strawberries, while every florist is running ads for red roses.

Some people love Valentine’s Day and everything that it is meant to represent: love, romance, passion, and care. Others don’t care for it. When you have recently separated, Valentine’s Day can be an occasion that you dread and actively despise. If you fall into this category, we have a few ideas to get you through the day.

Remember that you are not alone. Just do a search on Twitter for “hate Valentine’s” and you will find thousands of kindred spirits (and have a few laughs in the process). In addition, there are Facebook groups, Meetup groups, community social events for anti-Valentine’s Day discussions and events.

Take a personal day at work. It is a highly distracting day, with an endless stream of flower deliveries and coworkers silently competing about the flower arrangements on their desks.

If you have friends who are trying to set you up, don’t agree to a blind date or first date for Valentine’s Day. Instead of exposing yourself to a pressure-filled, awkward experience, try relaxing and making this day about yourself.

Stay off of social media. You don’t need to see all of your Facebook friends boast about how thoughtful they were or how they came home to a rose-petal covered floor and a thousand lit candles.

Spoil yourself. Make yourself a mini-bucket list of your favorite hobbies, pastimes, and leisure activities. Take a spa day, go see a movie in the middle of the day, or go to the bookstore and sit down with a stack of books that interest you.

Takeout Central, Grubhub, and even Amazon or Facebook have gotten into the business of delivering hot, fresh food from almost every restaurant. Take advantage of this era of convenience and treat yourself to something fancy and delicious. Don’t forget to order desert.

Exercise self-care and get help. If you are experiencing emotional turmoil, talk to someone. Talk to a friend, family member, professional counselor, or contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Let New Direction Family Law Assist You

New Direction Family Law is a North Carolina family law firm that guides people through separation, divorce, property division, child custody, alimony, and child support proceedings. Contact us if you need legal advice or assistance. Our attorneys have years of experience in providing thorough, relevant, and vocal legal advocacy for our clients. We serve Wake, Johnston, Durham and surrounding counties. Contact our office today at (919) 719-3470 to schedule an appointment to speak with us, or visit our website.